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The hall filled with silence. On the screen, Seoryeong and Myungdo were clearly speaking, but only their lips moved. Not a single sound came through. And of all times, it was the most important segment.
‘Why now, right when Seoryeong and Myungdo’s emotions are deepening...!’
Anyone who had come all the way to a fan meeting was part of the core fanbase rooting for Seoryeong and Myungdo. If this continued, the immersion would be shattered. The farewell at Baekyeongji was just moments away.
‘This is bad....’
The staff backstage panicked all at once. A sound accident like this was something no one had anticipated.
“Should we shut the screen off for a moment?”
“Is it just this video? Or did the speakers go out entirely?”
“Check speaker number one! Left side!”
The audio staff were rapidly exchanging words over the radios when the climax scene appeared.
And Han Yeoreum picked up the microphone.
“You asked me what my name was!”
It was the exact same line as in the drama. The sound quality was crystal clear, as if it had been newly recorded on the spot. Han Yeoreum’s unique power—changing the atmosphere with nothing but her voice.
“Huh? What is this?”
Yeoreum’s voice slammed straight into the ears of the sound director, who had been trying to deal with the accident.
A heavy concentration settled over the previously restless hall. [N O V E L I G H T] Every gaze locked onto a single person.
“My name is Seoryeong. Seo as in auspicious (瑞), and Ryeong as in bell (玲)!”
The synchronization was astonishing. The Seoryeong on the screen and Han Yeoreum holding the microphone spoke in perfect timing.
The sound director, headset on, unconsciously let his mouth fall open.
“Long ago, Jeongan gave me that name...! Back then, I pretended I really hated it!”
Han Yeoreum didn’t stop. As if she’d prepared for this, without a single stumble, she continued the lines exactly as they were in <Strange Tales>, just as the seated fans had once experienced them.
So that the audience could cover their mouths and watch a live <Strange Tales> unfolding before their eyes.
‘This is the very scene Yeoreum picked as a memorable one earlier.’
Aetami was the kind of drama geek who went wild over actors loving their own work.
When an actor showed that particular attitude—pride in their filmography—that work stayed by drama geeks’ sides for a long, long time.
‘To love it enough to match the sync....’
You couldn’t achieve this level of quality with just one or two rounds of monitoring. Even if it had been prepared in advance, it was a difficult feat. freeweɓnovel.cѳm
‘Yeoreum....’
In this moment, realizing that Han Yeoreum loved <Strange Tales> even more than she’d expected, Aetami made up her mind to rewatch <Strange Tales> every summer for the rest of her life.
‘Han Yeoreum really needs to be heard with her real voice.’
Beside Aetami, IP 85.152 felt a thrilling jolt in her eardrums for the first time since <Romeo and Juliet>.
‘A voice that resonates softly through the hall.’
Back during Juliet, even without projecting loudly, there had been a persuasive power that carried clearly. Now, it was different again.
‘It’s even better when she shouts....’
The voice reverberating through the space brought to mind the Seoryeong she’d known so far. IP 85.152’s heart ached at the brave voice of Seoryeong pretending she was fine.
‘Why is the fan meeting only once!’
IP 85.152 wanted to become a revolving-door audience member for fan meetings too. The urge to attend again and again, N times over, surged up.
‘Wait. This, right now....’
Manager Ma, backstage, sensed something strange.
Back then, Seoryeong had barely been holding back tears. Her voice had been choked, as if she were a single step away from breaking down.
“...Anyway, my name is Seoryeong!”
And yet, Yeoreum reproduced that voice perfectly in the few seconds of audio delay. The trembling tone and the shape of her mouth all matched, like a single, intentional piece of direction.
‘Without background music, it’s even more vivid.’
Seoryeong speaking resolutely with a shaking voice felt even more pitiful—and that made it all the more moving. Even her unstable breathing came through clearly.
On the screen, a beautiful scene unfolded. It was the moment Seoryeong set off on the road alone.
‘Normally, music would come in here.’
This time, silence took its place. The absence of music was filled by the audience’s anticipation.
Everyone already knew who would come running to stop Seoryeong as she walked down the mountain path, and they all waited for his appearance.
A river shimmering enchantingly appeared before their eyes. Sunlight melted into the water, glowing warmly, and just as Seoryeong’s face—taking in that river for the last time—was captured—
“Seoryeong!”
Myungdo’s shout rang out. Screams erupted from all around, as if people had been waiting for it.
‘And this part didn’t have any sound to begin with.’
The sound director could only think that this was timing bestowed by the heavens. When the accident first happened, his vision had gone dark—but right now, this was far better.
‘It’s like an intentionally staged event.’
The original work and the raw immediacy of the fan meeting fused together, creating an insane level of immersion for the audience.
“...How did you come here....”
Seoryeong’s tearful voice was heard, and then—
“Where are you going.”
Myungdo’s panting line followed.
‘Kwon Junhyeok too?’
Manager Ma clenched his fist at Kwon Junhyeok’s unexpected, natural ad-lib. Strength flowed into his hand without him realizing it. The lip-sync wasn’t quite as perfect as Han Yeoreum’s, but even so, it wasn’t bad.
‘With a low voice like that, the resonance comes through even better on site.’
Manager Ma immediately began thinking up headlines for the press release. All kinds of positive keywords floated to mind.
‘To manage the scene this well with just two rookie actors, right after their first overseas fan meeting... I can already see the top comments....’
-If this had gone wrong it would’ve been hella stiff LOL this was insane
-TT_TT why is Han Yeoreum so precious why is she my girl
-She must’ve been so nervous..^^ The hard work of countless staff members almost went up in smoke, but thanks to Actress Han Yeoreum it ended in thunderous applause. A rookie actress with a bright future~ cheering for you.
This was no time to hesitate. Manager Ma shouted to the interpreter.
“Tell them to turn off the screen! Slow fade-out!”
“Huh?”
“And pin spotlights—only on the two of them. Hurry!”
As the message was relayed over the radio, the screen on stage slowly faded out.
As the image of Myungdo and Seoryeong naturally drifting apart disappeared, the audience’s attention focused entirely on the two people standing before them.
‘What is this.’
The one who caught the change most sharply was none other than IP 85.152. Watching the stage direction unfold, she bit her lip.
‘This is like a spin-off...!’
By coincidence, the two of them were wearing outfits that evoked Seoryeong and Myungdo.
‘The official If they’re giving us... it’s too sweet....’
Yeoreum in a yellow dress and Junhyeok in a blue shirt felt like the reincarnations of Seoryeong and Myungdo.
“Then will you marry another man instead of me?”
“Ah, I don’t know.”
At some point, the screen had turned into a dark backdrop. Seoryeong and Myungdo were smiling at each other. Natural, comfortable smiles.
“Where should we go from here?”
“Wherever your heart leads. I will follow.”
The lines should have continued. But Han Yeoreum wrapped it up cleanly right there.
Where the heart leads. As if the place Seoryeong arrived at was this very spot.
Clap clap clap clap—!
Applause burst out from somewhere in the audience. It carried a determination to convey the emotion they’d just felt, no matter what.
“Han Yeoreum—!”
Aetami clapped, calling out Yeoreum’s name. Yeoreum’s gaze moved toward the person calling her.
Yeoreum’s round eyes widened in surprise, then slowly curved into a smile.
‘Yeoreum, are you... recognizing me right now?’
Aetami covered her mouth with one hand. If she didn’t, it felt like her heart might leap out.
‘I will love Han Yeoreum until the day I die.’
The words Aetami had been about to type into her phone at that very moment were buried deep in her chest.
The audience seated throughout the hall gave the two of them an enthusiastic round of applause. The massive interior hummed and resonated.
The ovation didn’t die down, even as time passed.
